<p>Another thought–I’ve only known two kids that have gone through the Freshman Connection. My daughter’s friend did it last semester and went to the games with her, parties, etc. He just hated the fact that he commuted and wasn’t experiencing the college experience in the dorms, etc. The classes are usually longer and later in the day. He couldn’t wait till spring semester began. He did luck out with a great dorm situation surprisingly–has a great suite in South, I believe. I would say if you REALLY want to go to UMD, then it is only one semester to miss out on and you will have 3 1/2 more years of the college experience living on/near campus.</p>